Jacqui Barry’s background encompasses a B.SC(Hons) with varied work in medical research, theatre, event management and post production for the film, television and advertising industries. She is currently working full-time at Film Victoria’s Digital Media Fund as the Digital Media Development Officer, and also undertaking part-time study for a Grad Dip in Law, specialising in Intellectual Property, which she reckons is a pretty exciting field at the moment.

mo:life
Can you give a brief outline of the fund you manage and whether it’s suitable for people interested in producing mobile content?

Jacqui Barry
The Digital Media Fund (DMF) is funded by Multimedia Victoria as an ICT industry development initiative aimed at bringing together technology, creativity and talent for the benefit of all Victorians.

We’re administered through Film Victoria’s Industry Development & Investment (IDI) unit and provide six programs which are spread across investment opportunities, seminars and events, digital media internships and audience development initiatives.

Opportunities to support mobile content projects are provided through two of the three investment-based DMF programs, namely the Innovative Digital Content or Digital Animation programs, which I manage.

Amelia King, as manager of the DMF oversees the suite of DMF programs, and the remaining investment-based Game Prototype program which supports content for other platforms (not mobile phones).

mo:life
Film Victoria asks applicants whether and how they plan to incorporate other media platforms in to their projects - is the logic here that Film Victoria sees multi-platformness as being standard for future film and tv projects? What will an ideal film project look like in 2015?

Jacqui Barry
As the Digital Media Fund programs aim to benefit the film, television and digital media industries the options for content producers to consider developing projects that have cross-platform appeal does of course provide cross-sector synergies relevant to our constituency.

The question to applicants on whether they are considering a multimedia component for their project comes from the Cross Platform questionnaires that are attached to the IDI unit programs, and are a means for us in the DMF to survey how content producers from more traditional platforms such as film or broadcast television proposals are considering new media elements for their projects.

As the global industries continue to move into a range of distribution options such as broadband, mobile or interactive options the challenge for producers to consider a multi-platform approach are certainly becoming the norm, rather than the exception.

Results from the IDI questionnaires are regularly analysed to help guide the DMF seminar program as an information-based resource to keep our content producers, across both IDI & DMF units, informed of opportunities in the rapidly evolving landscape of digital media.

mo:life
Can you give us an indication of some creative multi-platform proposals the DMF has funded?

Jacqui Barry
There have been some fantastic projects that the DMF have invested in and two projects in particular being ‘Forget the Rules’ and ‘Girl Friday’ have involved cross-platform elements, including use of the mobile phone.

Interestingly the team from Global Dilemma, producers of the innovative cross platform project Forget the Rules originally met at the DMF’s Broadband Seminar which has been described by producer/writer Jim Shomos as ‘business at first sight’. For the Producer/Director Paul Baiguerra this Project offered a key opportunity to move into interactive and new media production, to add to the capabilities of his current production company Catfish, a local TVC and post production facility. By the end of the day the basic outline for the project was laid down with the company Global Dilemma created to manage it.

Forget the Rules is an episodic comedy/drama series delivered via broadband, pay TV and mobile phones. Produced in near real-time, each week 3 x three-minute episodes are released to a youthful audience who will play an active role in determining slightly irreverent story and character direction. You can catch it online at www.forgettherules.com, and every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on 3 mobile phones and at 4.30pm and 9.30pm on Channel [V].

Girl Friday by Kylie Robertson is another example, as an interactive drama series with a comic edge, and could possibly be the world’s first cam girl beamed straight to mobile phones, with an additional website for content-hungry viewers available at www.girilfriday.tv
This project was a finalist in the Ericsson and Australian IT Frontier competition, judged to be one of the top three Australian applications. Kylie produced the pilot with the assistance of Film Victoria’s Digital Media Fund which included a working model of the mobile aspect of the series entailing production of two pilot episodes and the design and development of a flash interface to host and stream content to mobile devices, to specifically demonstrate the commercial potential of the project to third party investors.

Other projects supported by the DMF are listed on our website www.film.vic.gov.au

mo:life
Given the infancy of mobile media, and the not-exactly-killer-commercial economics of Internet video, does the DMF expect a return on investment in to purely digital projects? Or are you looking more to leveraging return through synergies between old and new screens (like what was done recently with War of the Worlds)?

Jacqui Barry
The DMF investment-based programs aren’t grants so we do expect a recoupment following the successful commercialisation of projects. Having said that, we also understand that the pathways to commercial outcomes for digital media projects can be difficult, given the nature of the evolving landscape and the emerging distribution, marketing and business models.

Our programs do however provide the opportunity for Victorian-based content producers to test the waters by developing prototypes of their concept to take to third party investors for commercialisation, and thus gives producers the chance to explore their options and develop their skills, strategies and networks in the area.

mo:life
Innovation in digital media involves considerable research and experimentation. Is Film Victoria interested in supporting projects that may not have a commercial outcome? Or do applicants have to be prepared to follow through with the commercialisation of the project?

Jacqui Barry
Yes, I agree there can be a lot of R&D needed when developing content for digital platforms and applicants can include the cost of this in their funding application, depending on the nature of the request. Such R&D with production of a business and marketing plan for example can help polish and refine the prototype to assist in following through to achieve commercial outcomes for the project.

mo:life
Does the hyper-commercial nature of mobile video mean that funding bodies like Film Victoria will be funding projects of a more commercial nature than it has done hitherto?

Jacqui Barry
As outlined earlier, our current three programs which include the Innovative Digital Content, Digital Animation and Game Prototype programs are investment-based so they do look for commercial outcomes. We don’t specify project formats, nor ones that are mobile-centric as such, but do look for projects that will be distributed to a digital platform, whether that be for broadband, internet, handheld, wireless, console, iTV or mobile handsets will be considered. Distribution only to the more traditional platforms such as film or broadcast television isn’t part of the DMF’s remit.

mo:life
Where’s the money in developing multi-platform projects in a dwindling local film market and a triumphalist, but cash-wary and audience-poor mobile media sector?

Jacqui Barry
There’s no simple answer for this, and the emphasis always comes back to the Producer and who they target and how they structure their licensing deals etc. The project Forget the Rules as mentioned above for example secured distribution deals via Hutchison 3 in Australia and broadcast via Pay TV on Channel V.

mo:life
Do you envisage a move toward what Niamh Collins from ninemsn called “snack content” will create opportunities for short-film makers?

Jacqui Barry
I think the emphasis for a project should first be on the platform, so given that a mobile handset is known and used as a personal device and most always ‘on the move’ that the appeal for content as ‘bite-sized’ options is understandable.

In my view, transporting a medium such as a short film, that is traditionally viewed in a darkened cinema with full surround sound and via high beam projection to a stationary and captive audience directly across to a mobile handset that has limited screen sized, audio or viewing capacity should be avoided, unless there’s some platform-specific content that can appeal to users.

mo:life
It’s time to get critical. Can you give some critical feedback and pragmatic advice to potential applicants?

Jacqui Barry
I’d recommend potential applicants read the program guidelines to see how their project might fit and then, if their project’s suitable, give me a call to arrange a meeting to discuss their ideas in more detail. It’s good to meet directly as I find that the project or concept can more easily be discussed in person, and I can assist with comments along the context of the guidelines to help ensure applicants will be on the right track if they wish to continue to apply.

At the meeting it’s good to discuss project elements such as the quality of their proposal, in comparison to existing applications or content for instance, with an overview of the project’s target market, audience and demographic with ideas for the direction in terms of the marketing, business and distribution strategies, or an indication of how they might go about investigating these options.

Working in cross-platform teams rather than as solo producers is also highly encouraged to enable specialist skills from individuals to contribute to the project, and for the applicant as producer to create their own IP to help sustain future business endeavours.

Applicants can of course prepare an application without meeting or discussing their project in advance but given the amount of work, time and effort required it’s better to discuss the project in advance, to help ensure that it’s meeting the objectives of the investment program, and to therefore save getting the submission possibly wrong and thus being inapplicable.

The DMF programs are available from our website www.film.vic.gov.au/dmf and general enquiries on the programs can be called through to Jana Jones our program coordinator 03) 9660 3227 or myself. I’d also recommend registering on our website on the ‘ DMF information update form’ to receive email updates for our networking events, seminar or event programs as they provide terrific opportunities for people to meet and also hear about issues, advice or opportunities for digital media content producers.